SAP Expands Big Data Opportunities For Partners With New Business One Release

SAP has debuted a new release of its SAP Business One application set that works with the company's HANA in-memory database. The move provides SAP channel partners with a new way to sell high-speed computing capabilities to small and midsize businesses.

The new "SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA" is currently in restricted shipment and will be generally available over the next several months, the company announced Tuesday at the CeBIT 2013 show in Hanover, Germany.

SAP Business One is a packaged ERP application set designed for small and midsize businesses, which is sold through a growing number of VARs who belong to SAP's PartnerEdge channel program.

SAP HANA, an in-memory database that boosts data-processing speeds and analytical calculations, is SAP's key offering in the "big data" arena. While SAP sells versions of its flagship SAP Business Suite applications and BusinessObjects analytical software that work with HANA, Business One did not support HANA until now.

SAP said Business One with HANA would help small businesses "dramatically reduce" reporting response times and speed up search and operational analysis tasks. It also will reduce business-analysis costs by eliminating the need for a separate data warehouse system.

"Here at ECS, we view SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA, as a real game-changer for small to midsized businesses," said Darran Vayhinger, president of Effective Computer Solutions, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based channel partner. "SAP has put business intelligence at the customer touch point with speed that’s simply amazing," he said in a statement. "At the same time, SAP has given business analysis tools to non-IT users at a price point never before available to companies this size. The business value our customers are seeing is huge."

Resellers can create add-on applications that work with the Business One/HANA combination, SAP said. The vendor also said it plans to provide a way for partners to build extensions and add-ons using the SAP HANA Cloud platform available on SmartCloudPT.